UK Human Rights Blog

The Supreme Court on statelessness, EU citizenship and proportionality

Pham v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] UKSC 19 – read judgment Angus McCullough Q.C. and Shaheen Rahman from 1COR acted as Special Advocates earlier in these proceedings. They had nothing to do with the writing of…

Is the New Zealand Parliament about to drop commitment to the rule of law?

The New Zealand Parliament seems about to drop that country’s commitment to the rule of law from the Act underpinning the judicial branch. Retiring Supreme Court judge (and former Solicitor-General) Sir John McGrath thinks that’s…

On 28th March UKHIP’s flotilla of solidarity made its way to Calais in a convoy which included a van full of donations – both given and bought with the funds raised by the crowdfunding campaign. Spirits were high as we made our…

Three issues have come to light over the last few days which raise yet more concerns around police operations, privacy and freedom of expression. All three have a common theme in that they all show the police’s willingness to…

By JoAnn Kamuf Ward Follow the Money. It’s no secret that an important way to assess someone's priorities is to look at how they allocate their resources. This is true for individuals, but it applies to governments too. Many lawyers...

While students at Columbia University hold demonstrations encouraging the school to divest ownership shares in private prisons, an order of nuns has devised a different solution for ensuring prisoner human rights. The Sisters of Mercy of the…

Solitary Confinement and Human Rights: Resources and Recent Development

The current issue of the Canadian Journal of Human Rights is a special volume focused on solitary confinement and human rights. Articles in the interdisciplinary journal include prisoner writing and philosophy as well as comparative analyses…

As if it weren’t bad enough. Iranian women face persistent systemic discrimination in terms of family law. New legislation being considered by Iran’s parliament is intended to roll back many of the gains women have made in the…

On the morning of March 9, in front of a Harare neighborhood barbershop, five men in civilian clothes abducted journalist and activist Itai Dzamara. He was handcuffed, bundled into a white truck with no visible license plates, and has not…

Victims of abuses in Honduras rely upon the work of human rights defenders in their country for help. But what happens when the defenders themselves become the target of threats and violence? Amnesty International’s recent report,…

Human Rights in Ireland

Jennifer O’Connell wrote for the Irish Times on Saturday that the Dwyer trial has forced light onto the darkest part of Irish society. More than anything, I hope it forces us to confront the true nature of violence against women in…

Dr Suzanne Kingston is a Senior Lecturer in Law in UCD Sutherland School of Law. In December 2014, Suzanne was awarded a research grant of almost €1.5 million from the EU’s European Research Council for a project…

The Prince Charles Black Spider Memos and Unreasonableness in the UK: The Resurgence of the Common Law Continue

After a 10 year protracted legal battle, the UK Supreme Court in R (Evans) v AG[1] finally paved the way for the disclosure of letters written by Prince Charles to government departments. The case, while potentially embarrassing for both…

"Evolving standards of decency" is a phrase used in Eighth Amendment jurisprudence to analyze whether a given practice is cruel and unusual. While the Supreme Court has so far refused to find that capital punishment offends "the…

"What greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that America is not yet finished, that we are strong enough to be self-critical, that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to…

As the Merry Monarch reigns over the next few days, hundreds of persons, including both masqueraders and spectators will be photographing the ‘Greatest Show On Earth’. With advances in technology, there is always confusion…

What are the formalities for making a Will in Trinidad and Tobago? Student Attorney Tamara Dolsingh explains how a Will is to be made for the Hugh Wooding Law School Human Rights Law Clinic. Tamara’s article was published on…

I was invited by the St. Augustine Girls’ High School to present to their student body on the legal aspects on posting on social media, particularly as it pertains to youth. The legal presentation is part of a session to promote…

Safe Haven Asylum and Refugee Law Blog

Temporary protected status (TPS) applies to non-citizens from states experiencing armed conflict, the aftermath of natural disaster, or other extraordinary, temporary conditions that make it unsafe to return. TPS was originally…

If you are visiting the United States from a West African country, you may be eligible for Ebola immigration relief. On August 15, 2014, USCIS announced the following immigration benefits may be available: Change or extension of nonimmigrant…

Important notice: These initiatives have not yet been implemented, and USCIS is not accepting any requests or applications at this time. Beware of anyone who offers to help you submit an application or a request for any of these actions…

In Matuz v Hungary, the European Court of Human Rights elaborated on extent to which journalists can invoke freedom of expression when criticizing their employer. FactsThe applicant was a journalist. He had been employed with a state…

Originally posted on Alfred de Zayas' Human Rights Corner:“Refusal of dialogue threatens world peace” “International law is universal and must always be uniformly applied” Interview with Professor Dr phil et iur Alfred…

Originally posted on Alfred de Zayas' Human Rights Corner:“Refusal of dialogue threatens world peace” “International law is universal and must always be uniformly applied” Interview with Professor Dr phil et iur Alfred…

I recently came across an audiolecture on secession by John Dugard, which is a bit lengthy, but summarises the topic really well. It is available at: http://webtv.un.org/news-features/watch/john-dugard-on-state-secession/2620925169001…

European Court of Human Rights

Thousands took part in a walk in İstanbul on Sunday commemorating the seventh anniversary of the death of Hrant Dink, showing that there remains a persistent conviction that connections behind his assassination have been covered up by…

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has slammed the use of the word “jihadist” in an English translation for the Turkish word “mücahid” to describe the slogan employed by some of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip…

Case of Ahmet Atahür Söyler v. Turkey (Application no. 29411/07)JUDGMENT (17 September 2013)STRASBOURGPROCEDURE1. The case originated in an application (no. 29411/07) against the Republic of Turkey lodged with the Court under…

Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has decided the case against Abdullah Al-Senussi, former Libyan Intelligence Chief is not admissible. The decision, issued in October, was a response to…

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced yesterday the existence of an arrest warrant for Charles Ble Goude, a former top aide to former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo. Ble Goude’s warrant had been under seal since 2011.…

Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir this week cancelled his trip to New York for the opening session of the United Nations. Bashir was the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC issued a…

European Court of Human Rights News

Covers applications, decisions, judgments at the European Court of Human Rights, resolutions by the Committee of Ministers and violations of the European Convention of Human Rights with a focus on French speaking countries in the Council of Europe (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Monaco and Switzerland).

On September 28th 2005, Mr. M.K was arrested in a theft investigation. During his police custody, he was fingerprinted and photographed. At an unspecified date, his personal data was stored on the police database FAED along with his name, his…

On September 28th 2005, Mr. M.K was arrested in a theft investigation. During his police custody, he was fingerprinted and photographed. At an unspecified date, his personal data was stored on the police database FAED along with his name, his…

At an unspecified date in 1999, the prosecutor of the district of Zürich interrogated several agents of the embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) in Zürich. Mr. Meier and his lawyer were present…

Erga Omnes

Labeling a person according to her gender highlights difference—really, ongoing hierarchies of power. Two recent incidents, both referencing sub-Saharan Africa, insert ‘women’ (as social category) into the world of…

If two wrongs don’t make a right, one right isn’t always enough. The UK’s recent use of universal jurisdiction against a Nepali colonel, for torture committed during his country’s civil war in 2005, has…

Last month, Amnesty International issued the latest set of reports as part of its “No Safe Haven” series on universal jurisdiction. The human rights organization began the multi-year project in 2008, with the goal of…

The Invisible College

A brand new issue of the Goettingen Journal of International Law is available on the journal’s homepage: www.gojil.eu. They have compiled eleven great articles about the precursors to international constitutionalism, especially the…

For more info, we kindly refer you to the website of the Amsterdam Center for International Law.
The ACIL, ECRP project ‘International Law through the National Prism’ and the ERC project ‘MultiRights’ now invite paper proposals…

Assistant Professor in International Relations at University of Amsterdam

Job description
Developing, conducting, and supervising high quality academic research on International Relations;
Teaching general and specialist courses in Political Science, more in particular International Relations at both undergraduate…

European Court of Human Rights

Turkish artillery hit targets near Syria’s Tel Abyad border town for a second day on Thursday, killing several Syrian soldiers according to activists and security sources, after a mortar bomb fired from the area killed five Turkish…

Human Rights Watch recently released a report entitled "Even a 'Big Man' Must Face Justice": Lessons from the Trial of Charles Taylor. A copy of that report is available here: HRW Report on Taylor Trial.
Below is the announcement from Human…

A former war crimes prosecution attorney and PILPG advisory board member reflects on the arrest of Ratko Mladic, alleged mastermind of the Srebrenica genocide. It is not often when one man is able to unite officials on both sides of the…

By Cameron MacLeod Since early 2010, the Seychelles has become the hub for prosecution of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles recently enacted a statute giving its courts universal jurisdiction to prosecute pirates brought to…

Olivie Law Blog

Great News for some young undocumented immigrants. President Obama as implemented a new policy they are calling deferred action that will allow certain undocumented immigrants between the ages of 16 and 30 who have been in the country for…

Great News for some young undocumented immigrants. President Obama as implemented a new policy they are calling deferred action that will allow certain undocumented immigrants between the ages of 16 and 30 who have been in the…

Articles on Immigration - International Child Advocacy - Human Rights

According to the article below, more and more ex patriated Americans are giving up their citizenship because of the tax requirements imposed on them by U.S. tax laws. Although the number giving up their citizenship is not astounding,…

According to the article below, more and more ex patriated Americans are giving up their citizenship because of the tax requirements imposed on them by U.S. tax laws. Although the number giving up their citizenship is not astounding, the…

The corruption news you are relying upon is sponsored by another corrupt politician

It has been a long time since my last post was published on Legal Drift. I got mails, facebook messages and a number of reminders from my readers who were waiting to read something new. Due to some other professional commitments, I was…

(Update: Since posting this, CSPAN has put up a link to DOS Legal Adviser Harold Koh’s ASIL-sponsored, informal public conversation with his predecessor, John Bellinger, on the question of the Obama administration’s approach to…

I wonder what do you think about Google’s decision to confront China’s censorship by pulling out of the country entirely despite a potential lost of profit for not doing its business with now the second largest economy in the word? A…

We are moving further away from the double dips danger! Last month the US economy added 162,000 jobs- a strong showing of a potentially more sustained recovery for US economy. Payroll gains are largely boosted by private sectors and much less…

Today, in an interview with Fox News in Beijing, President Obama warned that “the US economy could head into a ‘double-dip recession’ unless urgent steps were taken to rein back America’s mounting level of public debt,” reported the…

On the eve of the beginning of jury selection in New York, it was reported yesterday that Royal Dutch Shell settled the law suit brought against it by the son of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the families of the other activists killed…

On the eve of the beginning of jury selection in New York, it was reported yesterday that Royal Dutch Shell settled the law suit brought against it by the son of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the families of the other activists killed…

The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted several people for the atrocities being committed in Darfur. The most famous of those wanted is of course, the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, who has mocked the tribbunal by…

The Social Blog

Hindutva seems to have got new vigour now. The Advisory Board constituted to examine Varun Gandhi’s hate speech and booking under the National Security Act has recommended the withdrawal of the said Act against Vaun Gandhi. (news item here)

Hindutva seems to have got new vigour now. The Advisory Board constituted to examine Varun Gandhi’s hate speech and booking under the National Security Act has recommended the withdrawal of the said Act against Vaun Gandhi. (news item…

Law and Other things and the Indian Express have a series of posts and articles on Mayawati and her understanding of the constitution; the latest being Vinay Sitapati’s article in the Indian Express available here.

The Core

I am happy to report that our blogging hiatus is finally over.However, we won't be updating this site anymore - Tobias, Nicki and I are now part of the new team of the Invisible College.We hope to see you there.

The ICJ Tackles the Bosnian Genocide: Part 1a: Some More Thoughts on Jurisdiction

Yes, I know I have already written a fair bit about the jurisdiction-related aspects of the Genocide case, but recent research, and a few ideas resulting from that, leads me to add a few short comments on the notion of res judicata applied by…

As our loyal readers will have noticed, during the last weeks/months, we haven't had the time to blog as often as we would have liked to. It's not that there aren't interesting things to blog about, it's simply that we all don't have the…